The Facts on File Dictionary of Allusions - Green Valley High School

Stymphalian birds
448
the setting sun pierced the Stygian gloom”
(H. Rider Haggard, She, 1887).
Stymphalian birds See labors of hercules.
Styx See stygian.
sub rosa (sbb rozb) Secretly; confi dentially. <strong>The</strong>
rose was a great favorite of the ancient Romans
and among other qualities was understood to represent
secrecy, an association it acquired either
through its earlier identifi cation with the Egyptian
god Horus, who listed secrecy among his virtues,
or through the legend that Eros bribed Harpocrates
with a rose so that he would not tell Venus
of their intimacies. Consequently a rose was
sometimes suspended over council tables as a
reminder that any conversations that took place
happened “under the rose,” that is, in confi dence.
Similarly a bouquet of roses over a doorway was
supposed to be a sign that anything said inside
would be kept confi dential and thus all present
could speak freely. <strong>The</strong> phrase had acquired a legal
connotation by the 19th century, referring to the
confi dentiality that exists between lawyer and client.
By mutual agreement these meetings always took
place sub rosa, and no rec ords were made of what was
said.
such a time as this See for such a time as this.
suffer fools gladly To tolerate foolish people
with patience. <strong>The</strong> expression comes from 2 Corinthians
11:19: “For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing
ye yourselves are wise.” In the original biblical reference
Paul commends the Corinthians for their
forbearance, underlining that it is a proof of wisdom
to tolerate those who lack it. “A clever
woman and thoroughly coached, thought I. Well,
zikali was never one to suffer fools, and doubtless
she is another of the pawns whom he uses on his
board of policy” (H. Rider Haggard, Finished,
1917).
suffer the little children To show greater forbearance
to children and other innocents. <strong>The</strong>
phrase comes from Matthew 19:14, in which
Christ tells his disciples that he welcomes children
to come to him for his blessing: “Suffer little children
to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of
such is the kingdom of heaven.” Suffer here means
“let” or “allow.” (See also Luke 18:15.) <strong>The</strong> priest
frowned as the boys raced about the vestry and refl ected
that it was not always easy to “suffer the little children,”
as he so often instructed his parishioners.
suffi cient unto the day is the evil thereof It is
enough to worry about one’s present troubles
without concerning oneself with possible future
problems as well. <strong>The</strong> expression comes from the
account of Christ’s Sermon on the Mount at Matthew
6:33–34: “Seek ye fi rst the kingdom of God,
and his righ teousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the
morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for
the things of itself. Suffi cient unto the day is the
evil thereof.” <strong>The</strong>re’s no point in getting anxious about
tomorrow—suffi cient into the day is the evil thereof. See
also tomorrow will take care of itself.
sulk in one’s tent To retreat into moody seclusion
while nursing a private grievance. <strong>The</strong> reference
is to the behavior of Achilles after he lost his
prize of the beautiful slave girl Briseis to his rival
Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, during the Trojan
War. According to Homer’s Iliad (c. 700 b.c.),
Achilles retreated to his tent and only consented
to come out again after the death of his close